There are varieties types of eye diseases that can have some serious impact on a child’s vision. Some of them can be related to ailment and focus issues, and some can lead to critical conditions. According to Montessori teachers, it is important to ensure that your baby receives immediate medical attention so that his eye health can be maintained.

What is Congenital Nystagmus?

Congenital Nystagmus or dancing is a special type of eye problem that causes involuntary and periodic movements of the eye. This fluctuation is a consequence of an intrinsic visual or neurological disorder. Most of the time it is noticeable in the baby’s first few months itself. It usually impacts both eyes in a horizontal path. However, cases of irregular eye movements have also been reported. The baby is unable to control this movement and this condition does not take place while the child is sleeping. If you think your child has Congenital Nystagmus, then please speak to a pediatrician at the earliest.

Causes of Infantile Nystagmus :

Altadena, CA pediatricians think genetics can be one of the causes of Nystagmus in children as it is genetically transferable from parents to children. Visual deprivation, which happens due to glaucoma, cataracts, retinal detachment, abnormalities in the optic nerve, and achromatopsia, can cause this condition in kids. Vitamin deficiencies, extended drug use, strokes of the central nervous system, coloboma are the other cause of infantile Nystagmus.

Some of the common symptoms of Nystagmus in Children are as follows :

• Diminished vision and bad depth perception.
• Kids cannot keep their eyes steady as they keep on oscillating.
• Sometimes kids may have double vision and oscillopsia.
• They also experience dizziness, numbness, poor coordination, and hearing loss.
• Kids are unable to follow rapid movements in any object.

Whenever Montessori teachers observe any of the above symptoms in their students, they suggest parents consult a good pediatrician and seek medical help.

Diagnosis :

Diagnosis of Congenital Nystagmus is carried out mainly in the following ways :

• A thorough pediatric examination is carried out to eliminate systemic reasons.
• A thorough optical test is done to eliminate the presence of ocular malformation that could lead to sensory nystagmus.
• Doctors record the activity of the retina to eliminate optic or retinal nerve dysfunction.
• Sometimes MRIs are also done for uncharacteristic nystagmus.

Possible Treatment :

Although there is no definitive cure for this problem, correction of refractive errors, treatments of squint or strabismus, and achieving optimal development of the visual system are always of primary importance. Sometimes surgery is performed to correct the abnormal head posture. As short or long-sightedness is a common by-product of Nystagmus, such problems can be addressed with prescribed glasses.